1. Title Should be an Attention Grabber: It Can Include a Subtitle
Primary author 1, 2, 3, then your advisor/ professor
Life Science Academy, then you r high school(s)
Poster # 006
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
Get your viewer interested in the issue or question while using the absolute minimum of background information and definitions; quickly place your issue in the context of published, primary literature; then pitch an interesting, novel hypothesis … then you can describe (briefly) the experimental approach that tested your hypothesis. Please note that “X has never been studied before” is a lame reason for doing something. Unlike a manuscript, the introduction of a poster is a wonderful place to put a photograph or illustration that communicates some aspect of your research question. [approximately 200 words]
Use the funnel we discussed in class.
Start broad. Big questions- big ideas.
Present the foundational ideas and theories that buidlid the framework for your study
Start to narrow by explaining WHY the narrow question is important
Include the current research on your topic
End with a transition to your study
Briefly describe experimental equipment and procedure, but not with the detail used for a manuscript; use figures and flow charts to illustrate experimental design if possible; include photograph or labeled drawing of organism or setup; mention statistical analyses that were used and how they allowed you to address hypothesis. [approximately 200 words]
First, mention whether your experiment procedure actually worked (e.g., “90% of the birds survived the brainectomy”); in same paragraph, briefly describe qualitative and descriptive results (e.g., “surviving birds appeared to be lethargic and had difficulty locating seeds”) to give a more personal tone to your poster; in second paragraph, begin presentation of data analysis that more specifically addresses your hypothesis; refer to supporting charts or images; provide extremely engaging figure legends that could stand on their own (i.e., could convey some point to reader if viewer skipped all other sections, which they will do); place tables with legends, too, but opt for figures whenever possible. This is always the largest section (except if you have no data). [approximately 200 words, not counting figure legends]
Remind the reader (without sounding like you are reminding the reader) of the major result and quickly state whether your hypothesis was supported; try to convince the visitor why the outcome is interesting; state the relevance of your findings to other published work; relevance to real organisms in the real world; future directions. [approximately 200 words]
REFERENCES
Follow format described by your main society exactly (grammar and typography police at conferences will find even minor infractions, trust me). [5 citations]
OUR STUDY
This is the end of your funnel. Get specific. What are your key questions? What are your hypotheses? Provide an outline of your study here.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank individuals for specific contributions (equipment donation, statistical advice, laboratory assistance, comments on earlier versions of the poster); mention who has provided funding; be sincere but do not lapse too much into informality in this section; do not list people’s titles (e.g., write Colin Purrington not Dr Purrington). Also include in this section disclosures for any conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment (more info). [approximately 40 words]